Showing posts with label Naturally Art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Naturally Art. Show all posts

Tuesday, 20 September 2016

Here comes amazing autumn!

Well what wonderful weather we've been having here at Lackford as summer draws to a close. But fear not, because the hot summer haze has gone, it doesn't mean the wildlife has too. This is an interesting time of year with various creatures moving around to find suitable habitat to spend the coming winter months. As you may have seen from previous posts, ospreys have been seen flying over the reserve, the latest one was seen this week flying over Bess' hide.
Osprey over the reserve © Mick Odell
This weekend, despite the change in weather, we had hundreds of house martins and sand martins flying over the sailing lake, stocking up on insects ready for the long journey back to Africa. Wigeon have started to be seen from Bess' hide, one of the first signs of autumn. It's not just about birds either, here at Lackford for the second year running ivy bee has been recorded feeding off the ivy on the Church walk near the field feeders. This is the last of the solitary bees to emerge in the year and its emergence is timed with the flowering of the ivy, its main source of food. A new species to science, being first discovered in 1993 and found in the UK in 2001, its spread is being monitored across the UK and we're glad to have it here at Lackford.

Ivy bee on Church walk © Hawk Honey
We also look forward to seeing the arrival of our winter ducks such as goldeneye, pintail and the beautiful goosander. This is the time when our gulls starts roosting on the sailing lake too and we also get the odd rarity there as well. However, with anything up to 20,000 gulls coming in to roost during the winter months, seeking them out can be quite a rewarding task. However, watching the spectacle of these birds arriving every evening is also a sight to behold.

The smaller birds such as siskin, redpoll, redwing and fieldfare also visit Lackford and can often be seen in large flocks numbering over 150+ birds. Who knows, we may even be really lucky and get the odd waxwing too!

Then there is the fantastic fungi that is scattered around the reserve. Last year we have tha amazing looking earth star and chicken of the woods in Ash carr.
Earth star on the reserve.
And don't forget the wonderful autumnal colours that adorn Lackford this time of year as the chemicals within the leaves change to beautiful reds and golds. So fear not that summer has gone, winter is not far away and we have all the wonderful wildlife that it may bring with it to look forward too.
Autumnal colours around the sailing lake.

Opening times changes

We will be closing a little earlier on the 22nd September at 4pm, last food orders at 3.30pm. On the 28th September we will be opening a little later at 11am due to stocktaking. The reserve will be open as normal and these times only apply to the visitor centre. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused.

Latest events

On Wednesday 21st September, published wildlife photographer Kevin Sawford will be giving a talk. The life of a Suffolk Photographer will start at 7:30pm and ends at 10pm. There is no need to book, just turn up at the centre.

There are still spaces available on Paul's monthly Bird identification and song walk, on Saturday 24th Septamber 11am - 1pm. Just click on the link to book your place at £4 per person.

For the children, we have Naturally Art where all the children always have a great time creating art inspired by nature.

There's been a new path laid around most of the kingfisher trail thanks to Tesco's Bags of Help, which raised £8,000 from the carrier bag tariff. The new path is more compacted for easier wheelchair access and replaces areas of the path that were quite difficult to negotiate in wetter conditions.

New path on the kingfisher trail.

Sightings

The kingfisher has been showing well across the whole of the reserve including the visitor centre and very few visitors leave the reserve without seeing one. As reported earlier wigeon are being spotted in ever increasing numbers. This is a strange time for ducks as they go through eclipse and even your basic mallard can look like something quite exotic. Black-tailed godwits have been spotted on the Slough this week along with green sandpiper, common sandpiper, snipe and greenshank.

Black-tailed godwit on the slough © Alan Theobald
Little grebe, great crested grebe and pochard have been seen from Fullers mill and Bess' hides and two snipe were seen from Paul's hide as well. Goldcrests have been seen in the bushes around the double-decker hide and treecreepers have been spotted along the path to Steggall's hide.  Whitethroat and tree sparrow have been seen around the visitor centre and tree sparrows have also been seen on the field feeders along Church walk.

Juvenile female kingfisher © Barry Woodhouse
Don't forget to report your sightings in the visitor centre before you leave, we want to know what you've seen whether it is common or not.

Sunday, 3 July 2016

Summer months.. where are you? 

After the deluges of last week, (rain rain go away come again another day) on Friday it brightened up and the wildlife took centre stage.

With the weather brightening up and the warmth bulding, there has been the emergence of fresh looking butterflies; in addition to last week’s browns, ringlet and speckled wood have joined the roll call. Peacock butterflies are splendid at the moment and all three skippers have been reported (large, small and Essex

peacock butterfly © Greg Veness

 What a site

A broad-bordered bee hawkmoth feeding on viper’s bugloss was one photographer’s highlight, and a nice record.


broad-bordered bee hawkmoth © Bob Chappell

Despite the wet weather the insects have been making lackford lakes their home. Numbers of dragonflies such as hairy and - new this week – emperor dragonflies are increasing. Brown butterflies such as gatekeeper and meadow brown are in evidence for the first time along with small copper and skipper. A notable event is the nesting of tree bumblebees in the Double Decker hide – please take care if using this hide

 

Flashes of blue

In the bird world the kingfishers have fledged, adults and juveniles can be spotted all around lackford. (good spot is the Double Decker hide) Look out for that flash of bright blue across the water, they are such a stunning bird to watch and with the sunny weather on the way the sun makes them even more beautiful.

kingfisher © Stephen Whayman

kingfisher © Stephen Whayman

 

 The sound of summer

The turtle dove is a dainty dove, its smaller and dark than a collared dove and slightly larger than a black bird. The upperparts are mottled with chesnut and black and its black tail has a white edge. The purr of a turtle dove is the sound of summer and its amazing that one was spotted on the wire along our church walk path.

turtle dove © Rich Berry
Turtle dove © Jonny Rankin


 Family fun

A day trip to lackford lakes is perfect for the family to connect with nature, pop into the visitor centre where you can pick up one of our spotter sheets (see how many species you can spot)

On saturday 9th July we have, Summer birds & butterfly ID.    

Explore lackford lakes with local birder and butterfly enthusiast, Paul Holness, and learn to observe and identify the great variety of species.

A chance to spend a relaxed and informative day learning new identification skills or brushing up on those you already have.  The wide variety of habitats at Lackford encourages a great range of bird and butterfly species and you will have the opportunity to see and hear a good number of both. This day is suitable for beginners and those with less experience. Booking is essential for this event so please visit our website for more details. http://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/lackfordlakes

It was Naturally Art this weekend with our nature inspired art weekend for 5-10 year olds. This week there was an under the sea feel to it and was enjoyed as always by all who attended. If you would like your child to get involved, then book them onto our next session on the 10th Sept





Monday, 21 March 2016

It's all kicking off!

Yes, spring already we hear you cry. It only seemed like last week when we were getting over new year and now we have our first sping arrival in the shape of a chiff chaff, which has been seen and heard chiff chaff-ing away along the path between the visitor centre and Bernard's hide. Another spring visitor that's also been seen and heard is a blackcap on the sailing lake path near the bench. Dunnocks can be seen around the reserve singing from the calling posts. This spring activity comes just in time for our spring activities here at Lackford.

We've got lots happening here at Lackford this spring starting with our Spring safari activity day on the 31st March where we will be looking for wildlife in the streams, lakes, ponds and woods of Lackford Lakes.

On the 1st of April, we have Family Friday where you can explore the reserve to see how many springtime challenges you can complete.

Our regular Naturally Art workshop is on the 2nd April as well as our wildlife weekend the Sounds of Spring, which runs throughout the weekend. This is the time of year when the air is filled with the sounds of birds calling for a mate. How many different species will you hear? Are birds the only thing you'll hear? On the Sunday, you can take a Wildlife Wander with the guides on a tour of the reserve and see some of the wildlife that lives at Lackford and how they are getting ready for spring.

On the 5th April, we have Love bugs and crazy daisies activity morning for 4-7 year olds, where they can go on a hunt for the mini beasts that inhabit the reserve.

At the end of the week on the 8th April, we have Young wardens who will be sharpening the conservation skills by working on the reserve.

There's always plenty happening at Lackford, don't forget to check out our forthcoming events list on the right of this page, or click on the link at the top.

Another first for Lackford!

Yes, another species has been recorded for the first time at Lackford in the shape of a raven, two in fact. The were spotted deep in combat with a pair of red kites over the sheep fields by several people and thankfully, captured on camera by our regular visitor and contributor Ian Goodall.

Two ravens circle one of the red kites © Ian Goodall
In pursuit, the raven identified clearly by its size and diamond shaped tail © Ian Goodall
Tables turned, the red kite dives after one of the ravens © Ian Goodall
Quarrel over, the red kite drifts majestically away © Ian Goodall
This just goes to show that even when the weather is overcast, raining or dreary, that the action doesn't cease. A big thank you to Ian for allowing us to use these photos.

Another unusual capture.

This weekend saw the kingfishers displaying well around the reserve, especially at the false bank at Hawker Pool. 
Male kingfisher approaches the false bank © Ian Goodall
However, another regular visitor Alan Theobald managed to capture this unusual situation at Bernard's Hide.

Kingfisher with a Great Crested Newt © Alan Theobald
Yes, the male kingfisher managed to catch and eat this great crested newt at Bernard's pool, which just goes to show that the lakes don't just have fish and crayfish in them, there's newts too. Thank you Alan for sharing.

It doesn't stop there, yes, there's more. Barry Woodhouse, another regular contributor managed to get a photo of this very shy individual also at Bernard's hide.

Water rail © Barry Woodhouse
Water rail are more often heard than seen with their screaming call being emitted from the reed beds, but of late, several have been showing well sneaking out of cover.

Elsewhere on the reserve, everything has been getting busy as spring finally gets under way. Our Visitor officer even caught this black-headed gull trying to chase off a mute swan, which in turn was seeing off a canada goose

Back off!! © Hawk Honey
So as we've seen, it doesn't have to be all blue skies and sunshine for you to see lots at Lackford, there are things happening all the time, so don't miss out!

Sightings

Red-crested pochard are still being seen mainly from Steggall's hide on Wilson's Flood near the pontoon. Shelduck have grown in number and we now have about a dozen that can be seen on The Slough along with oystercatchers, redshank, teal, shoveler and the odd kingfisher and snipe.
Snipe have also been showing very well at Bernard's hide, with the occasional jack snipe turning up from time to time. As seen above, water rail are also being spotted here too.

In Ash Carr, nuthatch, siskin, grey wagtail, goldcrest, great spotted woodpeckers, marsh tit, coal tit and treecreepers are regularly being spotted. Plenty of wrens are also being seen around the reserve too.

Wren looking for insects © Hawk Honey
Barn owl has been spotted on some evenings from the Double-decker hide. Buzzards are a regular spot over the reserve and red kite are also getting seen more. In the fields next to Ash Carr, look out for a pair of kestrels often seen perched in the lone tree.
Kestrel pair in Ash Carr field
Also in the field this weekend, 70+ redwing  were spotted feeding up getting ready for the long flight north.

Redwing getting ready to leave © Barry Woodhouse
Don't forget, soon the spring migrants will be arriving at Lackford and we want your sightings. So if you think you've seen a new arrival, please pop into the centre and let us know.




Tuesday, 1 March 2016

Bags of Help!

Well things are really looking good here at Lackford Lakes. The artworks up around the Slough have now been completed and many of the visitors are liking the new improvements. The area around Reed hide has been opened up and re-profiled and is now called the shallows. This should bring the waders in closer to the hides and has already enticed in a pair of snipe and some oystercatchers.

Another TV

Yes, those kind people at Hughes have kindly donated us another TV for the centre at Lackford. The first TV donated to us by Hughes relays all the activity from our wildlife cameras straight into the centre. But the new TV will show your wonderful wildlife images in the centre. At the moment, the TV is currently showing some drone footage of Lackford taken by our volunteer and facilitator in getting the new TV, John Lord. It’s also showing some wonderful images of our winter ducks taken by regular contributor Ian Goodall.

New TV from Hughes.
We want to keep the images seasonal and with spring just around the corner, we want to see your images of those spring arrivals, courtship activity, etc. All we ask is that the image be a high quality jpg 1080 x 1920 and has to be taken at Lackford. Please email your photos to us at lackford.centre@suffolkwildlifetrust.org We can’t promise to use everyones photos, but we will do our best.

Another camera

Yes, more good news, Handykam has kindly donated us another camera to be used at Lackford. This is a welcome addition to the current three cameras we have as we get even more views of what is happening around the centre. We were planning to use the camera in an owl/kestrel box mounted on the centre, but we found out that there is some work that will need to be carried out soon on that part of the building and a nesting bird would scupper those plans. But fear not, Visitor Officer Hawk Honey put on his thinking cap and has come up with ‘Pond Cam’!

Now, visitors to the centre, can see what is happening below the calm surface of the pond outside on the TV inside the visitor centre. 



And in this clip, we see a mallard drake feeding quietly before the female comes in and stirs it all up and shows him how it’s done.


A more unusual and less seen creature from the one above can be seen swimming past on our Facebook page.

Bags of Help!



From this Saturday, Tesco shoppers will be able to cast their vote for Lackford Lakes and help decide whether we receive £8,000, £10,000 or £12,000 towards improving the site.
The supermarket has teamed up with conservation group Groundwork to launch its Bags of Help campaign in hundreds of regions across England and Wales.
The scheme will see three community groups and projects in each of Tesco’s 390 regions awarded grants of £12,000, £10,000 and £8,000 – all raised from the five pence charge levied on single-use carrier bags.
The public will vote in store from 27 February until 6 March on who should receive which amount.
At Lackford the Bags of Help initiative will allow us to resurface a section of the Kingfisher Trail to improve access for pushchairs and wheelchairs. 
But if shoppers vote for us to receive £10,000 or £12,000 the Trust will be able to resurface more of the path, replace a wooden bridge on the Kingfisher Trail and purchase a new mobility scooter.
You can vote for Lackford by shopping at Tesco at St Saviours Interchange, Bury St Edmunds IP32 7JS

For more information click here

Recent works at The Slough.

The recent earthworks at The Slough have now been completed and everyone is liking the end result. As you can see, The Slough has been re-profiled in an attempt to bring the waders and other wildlife much closer to the hides. This new area is now known as The Shallows.

The Shallows from the Double-decker hide.
This new area along with a few other changes means we’ve now got a new map, which can be seen in the visitor centre alongside the new TV and sightings board.

March events.

The year is zipping along and already we find ourselves in March, where does the time go? We’ve got lots of events lined up for this month and something for everyone and they can all be found here or from the listing on the right if you’re on a desktop computer. But don’t leave it too long as these events begin to book up early, so don’t miss out. 

Lots of fun at Naturally Art

Paul’s Monthly Guided Bird Walk Wed 9th

Easter opening!

Yes, Easter is almost upon us, but that doesn’t stop us here at Lackford because we are open ALL WEEKEND including Bank Holiday Friday and Monday. So if you’re stuck for something to do, do pop down and see us.

Sightings.

Our bird species list continues to grow here at Lackford and we’re now up to 87 species for the year! Latest on the list is a peregrine that was spotted from Steggall’s hide flying over. Our newest arrival this week saw not 1, not 2, but 3 red-crested pochard, two males and a female. A pair of these successfully raised some chicks here last year and we wonder if any of these are those chicks? One of the males has gone down to Wilson’s Flood and the other pair are sitting at Mill Deep. 

Red-crested pochard by Ben Moyes
4, yes 4 kingfishers were observed fighting at the weekend at Hawker Pool by the false kingfisher bank. The following day there were 3 with 2 males trying woo a female. Has spring sprung????

Great-crested grebes have been doing their bonding dance on Long Reach and this was seen and captured by one of our wildlife guides Jim Palfrey.

Great-crested grebes do their dance of love!
Bittern hasn’t been seen in the last week, but this does not mean it isn’t there as bitterns are an expert when it comes to camouflage. However, regular visitor Stuart Finley managed to photograph this bittern as it flew past Reed hide.

Bittern in flight
Tree sparrows have been heard from the field feeders and plenty of bullfinch, siskin, redpoll, goldcrest and marsh tits have been spotted around the reserve, especially Winter hide and Ash Carr.

Buzzard’s and marsh harrier’s have been regularly sighted these last few weeks drifting lazily over the reserve and snipe, oystercatcher and goosander’s can still be seen on The Slough and the long-tailed duck is still here and often seen on Hawker Pool or Long Reach among other places. See the staff to find out her latest location before you go off hunting for her.

The otters  have been sighted occasionally around Hawker Pool and we are still getting our several thousand gulls roosting on the Sailing lake overnight with the odd rarity amongst them such as Iceland gull.

Don’t forget to pop into the centre when you arrive to check out where all the latest sightings are before you walk round.




Tuesday, 10 November 2015

Long-tailed duck, long time coming.

Well what a surprise! As you may have seen on social media or heard on the Lesley Dolphin BBC Suffolk radio this week, Lackford has a new visitor. Fresh in all the way from Scandinavia and a very rare visitor for inland waters, an adult female long-tailed duck has appeared on the reserve. These ducks are coastal birds and usually are seen much further north than Suffolk. So rare it is, that this is the first time in 20 years a long-tailed duck has appeared at Lackford. The one that showed up in 1995, stayed for 7 months according to resident bird ringer Colin Jakes.

Regular visitor Barry Woodhouse managed to get this shot of the bird from Bess' hide.

Female long-tailed duck by Barry Woodhouse
The duck is often seen on Long Reach, but a scope is advised as it divides its time from being in front of the hide to being far away at the back of the lake. It's a diving duck, which spends a lot of its time under water, for up to 30 seconds. So a bit of patience will be required.

Another view by Malcom Hupman
At times the Bess' hide became quite busy with lots of eager visitors wanting to get a view and no-one went away disappointed.

Standing room only at Bess'
Pop into the visitor centre on your arrival to find out where the bird, as well as many other things, is showing.

It's not long now.

Well, it only feels like last month had just turned spring and christmas is almost upon us. The year has flown past, it must have been fun, so they say. So, getting ready for the festive time, we now have our christmas cards in stock.

A fine selection of cards to choose from.
We also have a Lackford christmas card if you want to show your friends and family where you spend your time throughout the year.
Christmas time at Lackford Lakes by Michael Coulter
There are 6 cards to a pack, which are very reasonable priced between £2.75 & £2.95 with all proceeds going towards the Trust.

We have plenty of new stock in the shop too with lots of ideal gifts for the naturalist in your family.

Something for everyone in our shop.

A new special offer.

It's winter time and now more than ever, your garden birds need their feed. That's why here at Lackford, you can take advantage of our special offer. Every time you buy a small bag of bird food from us at Lackford, we will stamp your loyalty card. Collect 5 stamps and you'll receive your 6th bag FREE! So why not pop into today and get your loyalty card from the counter with your first bag.

Our special offer.

Despite the warm weather

Despite the unseasonably warm weather of late, we now how firewood back in stock to keep you warm when the weather does take a turn to chilly temperatures. It's £6 a bag and can be bought from the visitor centre. 

Sightings

Kingfisher continues to show around the reserve, favorite spots to see it are Bess', Atlas, Double-decker and Bill's hides. Goldeneye have arrived and have been spotted on the sailing lake and from Bess'. Wigeon, teal, pochard and shoveller are increasing in numbers and can be seen at various places across the reserve.

Another oddity turned up last week in the shape of a black swan. This is most likely going to be an escapee.

Black swan by Barry Woodhouse
The swan like to move around a bit from one end of the reserve to the other, but Plover lake is its favorite spot at the moment.

Nuthatch, goldcrest, treecreeper, long-tailed tits and siskin are regularly being spotted down at Ash Carr. 

It's an interesting time of year at Lackford where birds are coming in to spend their winter months and this can be seen every evening when the gulls come into roost on the sailing lake in their thousands.

We look forward to seeing you soon.








Monday, 27 April 2015

In full song!

Things are getting busy on the reserve with lots of reports on a daily basis of the various wildlife that resides here. It's not just birds that are being spotted, as the weather gets warmer, many insects are beginning to emerge and plenty of butterflies have been spotted this week including Small copper, Speckled wood, Peacock, Small white, Orange-tip, Green-veined white, Brimstone and Common blue. 

Peacock butterfly © Sarah Steggall

Green-veined white © Sarah Steggall

Speckled wood © Sarah Steggall
And a Speckled wood in its more normal pose © Rich Berry
Also spotted outside the visitor centre recently emerged from its winter sleep under the soil, was a Cinnabar moth. Unfortunately, it made its getaway and flew off to find a partner before anyone got a chance to get a photo. However, if you manage to get a photo of one on the reserve, then please do send it in to us so we can share it with others (lackford.centre@suffolkwildlifetrust.org). Many people are also spotting another beautiful moth on the reserve, the Ruby Tiger moth.

Ruby Tiger moth.
The reserve has been buzzing to the sound of various Hoverflies and bees this week and we have yet to spot our first Dragonfly. The first of which usually emerges in April, the Large Red Damselfly, one to keep your eyes peeled for.

Nick Elsey and Rubyna Sheikh sent us these pictures from their latest visit. 

Alderflies mating

Hoverfly Eristalis pertinax on Blackthorn blossom.
There was even a cute little jumping spider found outside the visitor centre by Visitor Assitant Hawk Honey.

A cute jumping spider Marpissa mucosa.
So the invertebrates are out in force at Lackford at the moment and we're pretty sure there's more to come. Thanks to everyone who sent in their photos, very much appreciated.

Owl news!

Our Tawny owl has been visiting its regular perch again and unlike last time where it brought back a rather unappealing (and unimpressed) toad, this time it had something much more palatable (if you're an owl of course) to eat, a mouse. All can be seen here in the video which is can also be seen on our YouTube Channel.


At the end of the video you will also see a clip from our mammal box, which is only a few metres away from where the owl sits. Here you can see the mice play fighting over who gets what feeding area in the box, totally unaware of the horrors going on outside.

Bank Holiday Weekend!

Lots going on at Lackford this Bank Holiday weekend including our new Wild for the Weekend  theme, Maybugs! On Saturday and Monday, our insect specialist Hawk, will be out and about on the Kingfisher trail helping you find out more about the insects at Lackford and on Sunday, Visitor Officer Mike will be running pond dipping sessions between 11-12 noon and 2-3pm (£1 per person). Just pop into the centre when you arrive to register your interest.

Sightings

The talk this week is not so much sightings, but the sounds on the reserve. The Nightingale has been quite melodious of late, singing near the centre in the bushes between the education meadow and the ringers hut. Many people have been coming into the centre remarking on the amount of warblers (Cettis, Garden, Willow, Sedge and Reed) they can hear whilst walking around. 

Garden warbler in full song © Barry Woodhouse
Cuckoo’s have also been heard calling this week from around the sailing lake and down at Ash Carr too. Blackcap’s and Chiffchaff’s have also been in full song around the reserve. Whitethroat’s and Lesser Whitethroat’s have also been spotted around the reserve too.

Whitethroat singing © Barry Woodhouse
Male Blackcap adds his voice to the chorus © Rich Berry
Chiffchaff © Rich Berry
There have been some new arrivals too this week with Common and Arctic Tern’s on the Slough and Sailing lake. Also, we had a brief visit yesterday from a pair of Black-tailed Godwit’s on the Slough. These have brought our species total for 2015 up to 125 birds!

Common Tern over Sailing lake © Barry Woodhouse
The Kingisher’s, who have been elusive of late have been found to be nest building on Hawker’s pool in one of the false banks. The pair have been displaying well, sitting outside for up to 20 minutes or more for the last couple of days.

Kingfisher at Hawker pool  © Sarah Steggall
Hobby is being seen more often the last couple of days with several sightings from the Double-decker hide, as well as being spotted over the Sailing lake and the Slough. Curlew was also spotted on Sunday on the Slough.

Curlew with some tern’s in the background © David Mackey - Macks Photography
Other sightings include Goldcrest, Nuthatch, Marsh tit and Treecreeper in Ash Carr. Lots of Swift’s, Swallow’s and House Martin’s all around the reserve. Red Kite spotted at height drifting over the Car Park. Buzzard’s are quite regular towards northern side on the reserve. 

Big apologies to Colin. A small technical issue wouldn’t allow me to upload your Nightingale photos to the blog. Will make sure this is sorted by next week. Sorry.

We Need Your Sightings!

Regardless of how unimportant you think your sightings are, we still need them. Only this week, one visitor was amazed to see that we had Egyptian geese as she had never seen one before because she lives in Wales. Yet, to most people living in and around water around East Anglia, Egyptian geese can be quite a common sight and are often not reported. So, regardless of how common you think it may be, we still want to know so that we can let others know. So pop into the centre and let our staff know so we can add your sightings to the board.

Photography competition!

As you can see from the blog and recent posts, there are some excellent photographers amongst you and now’s the time to enter your photos to Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s Photo Competition. All details are available on the website and the competition doesn’t close until November, so plenty of time to get that winning shot! In the meantime, if you’ve got a photo that you took whilst on the reserve that you would like to share, then please send it to us at lackford.centre@suffolkwildlifetrust.org with the words ‘For the blog’ in the subject line. We cannot promise your photo will get in, but we will do our best.

A big thank you!

Once again, a big thank you to all our contributors, whether your photos were published or not. All the photos sent in, help us to show the diversity of wildlife that exists at Lackford and helps make Lackford just that bit more special. Keep them photos coming in, thanks.